Coming to Understand
by Detouredbe
Summary: Peridot takes some important steps toward understanding the policies of the Crystal Gems. In other news, Amethyst gets a nice dose of sugar.


**It's amazing, what an effect the latest "Steven Universe" hiatus can have on a fan, from my experience. I should note that this is the first hiatus I'm getting the full experience of, with the last SU bomb being the first I experienced in real time, since I got into the show in late-mid summer. It's actually inspired me to try my hand at fan-drawing, something I haven't seriously indulged in for... nearly a decade, I think. Anyway, certain fanfic ideas have also begun to simmer in the meantime, mostly concerning the pairing of Amethyst and Peridot, and this oneshot here is the one I felt most keen to get typed out. It's mostly about their romance and my interpretation of how it may come to blossom, but there are other important (and highly desired) developments for Peridot thrown in towards the end.**

 **Copyright for "Steven Universe" belongs to Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network.**

The fusion transformed into a glowing pillar of white light, tinted a bit here with green and a bit there with purple. As it dematerialized, two smaller, humanoid shapes began to form out of it. When the light disappeared, the de-fused gems turned their gazes to each other. Their expressions could not be specified as shyness; they'd experimented with fusion too many times now for that. No, there was some intangible tidbit to the overall emotion, along with the more apparent loving euphoria, but that was just it. That seasoning of feeling which always came with it had yet to have a definite label which could be appropriately applied to it.

That was fine by them, though, for especially for the green gem it was part of what kept their interludes of fusion exciting, compelling them to salivate for the next stolen moment shared as a single entity, and to scarf down each such moment when it arrived.

Peridot was never the instigator; the one who started them off dancing till their beings united as one was always Amethyst. The first time had come as a tremendous surprise, and though she'd first regarded the situation with alarmed resistance – meaning it had not lasted very long – she'd been left with a twitter of excitement from the experience that try as she might, she could not brush off. What they would think back on Homeworld if they ever knew, she shuddered to consider, but as long as Amethyst was the one who started it, Peridot felt she could, however cheekily, go along for the ride while ditching the automatic self-consciousness. Not being the perpetrator equaled no shame. Who aside from Amethyst had to know she enjoyed it?

Called away in a bliss-obliterating second by Pearl (some clap-trap about her junk sneaking its way into Pearl's private room again), Amethyst rolled her eyes and said, "Later, nerd!", nuzzling Peridot's shoulder with her fist before heading off to face the pale harpy she'd somehow teed off for the googolianth time in her existence.

Peridot found it odd that in any other context Amethyst used that term, it seemed meant to evoke offense, on however mild a ratio, and yet when it was directed at her it just... didn't feel insulting. Not now, anyway; the first couple of times she called her that it did come across as derogatory, and Peridot hadn't even been sure of its meaning back then.

/

For a while she hadn't known what, but it was something in the tone Amethyst started to use when addressing her with that "nerd" label. It just didn't come across with derision or animosity. It was... playful, sort of. Peridot had brought the topic up with Steven, he being her go-to guide for navigating customs and behaviour patterns on earth, but his answer hadn't seemed as helpful as would be ideal. All he'd said was that it meant Amethyst "liked" Peridot. Well, why wouldn't she like her? She was funny, Amethyst herself had been the first to say so, and, drat the stars if she'd satisfy those who'd made this claim by admitting it out loud, but she was _adorable_. Those were the sorts of qualities that got someone liked on earth, weren't they?

Of course, she'd been learning under Steven's patient tutelage long enough by now that she could tell there was something more to this "like" he implied, even if she was unfamiliar with how exactly to pick up on the differences. When she'd tried to probe him for further insight, he'd launched into an anecdote about what he considered the most famous example of this special type of "like", the _Ballad of Rose and Greg_. Retrospectively, she wasn't astonished at getting roped into the torture that was being supplied with extensive information on the courtship of Steven's parents; he'd threatened her with the story a couple of times since she'd come into her current residence with the Crystal Gems, so it was only a matter of time before he carried it out.

It did leave Peridot with a few new morsels of food for thought, however. First, acquaintance with the term "romance", which she gathered was a relationship sort of like a friendship, but where two individuals wanted to kiss – another word she needed an explanation for, and felt momentarily squeamish after Steven demonstrated on her cheek – and be close all the time. Second, if the connection between example and circumstance was as Steven implied, was that really the kind of relationship Amethyst was looking for, with Peridot? Better still, was it the kind they already had, and the green gem just hadn't realized it yet?

She supposed the only way to know was to conduct an experiment; that was the answer to any quest for heretofore unattained knowledge, right? The next time she met up with Amethyst (she would later deem herself lucky that they'd been alone), she'd put her experiment into play. Just as Steven had done, Peridot asked Amethyst to stay still for a moment... the purple gem must have been confused, because she inquired of the gem now approaching her with nervously outstretched arms whether her face was undesirably adorned with something. Her sudden rigidity at the wordless response Peridot gave seemed an unpromising reaction. Since Amethyst was the member of the Crystal Gems she had the most respect for, and since she'd already insulted her once before, the last thing Peridot wanted to do was antagonize her with her actions, but she had to know... Was this "kissing" something she'd want to do with Amethyst? And in the event that the answer was yes, would the purple gem want to do it with her, too? In the event that the first question warranted a negative answer, the whole experiment could be called off as satisfactorily concluded, she was sure.

Peridot had immediately pulled away, stumbling over a frantic apology and hastened attempt at explanation, but Amethyst had raised her hand, asserting that it was "cool". It certainly felt "cool" in a slightly different connotation, right then, but _then_ Amethyst had confounded the results of that experiment even further by suddenly chuckling, making a light remark or two, then mentioning she was going to raid the fridge and giving Peridot a wink before departing.

/

With full use made of every opportunity to ponder the outcome of that little venture, Peridot had in time reached the analysis that she _did_ indeed enjoy kissing Amethyst's cheek on that occasion, or at least it inspired a pleasant thrill. Now, the question as to whether she'd want to make a long-term habit of this practice,  that would maybe require further testing. The only issue with that was, she felt a heavy apprehension over re-conducting her test. Although Amethyst had been her personal brand of polite over it, Peridot still found her face warmed by shame over the way she'd made the other gem tense up with her bold endeavour. Steven hadn't told her about this concept, but what if it was possible for her to want a romance with Amethyst, while the small quartz essentially could not care less? Somewhere in the course of these events, that possibility began to loom in front of the green gem in a way that frankly frightened her.

Eventually Peridot came to accept that systematically avoiding Amethyst and the coy smirk that now nestled on her face whenever their gazes did chance to meet, was not the correct way to handle this dilemma. Granted, it took a bit of confiding in Steven to help her reach that acceptance, but reach it she did. With his solemn promise not to intervene, but rather to let Peridot find her own way to face the daunting mystery of Amethyst's stance on their potential romance, she had then set to internally debating just what that way might come down to.

The way it finally came about, however, she could not have calculated by her own mental merit. Namely because it involved her personal tape recorder falling into a certain pair of hands that weren't her own...

Amethyst approached Peridot, tape recorder in hand, the day it happened. Peridot had been frantically searching the beach house for it, for much of what she'd recorded on it recently related to this colossal quandary which plagued her. Of course, the relief from the recorder's return to her clutches was already juxtaposed by the exact individual who recovered it, but to the magnification of her chagrin Amethyst commented, somewhat hesitantly, about something she'd heard on the tape after "accidentally" hitting the playback button. In light of who precisely this was, how much of a genuine accident her discovery was could be debated, but all Peridot could do in that second was panic over what Amethyst had heard, what she now knew... The moment the quartz began to ask her something, still with that air of caution in her voice, she forfeited all sense and just went for an impulsive reprise of her experiment. Before even five seconds had passed, she realized what she was doing, and that once again the object of her increasingly patent affections was stiff as a board. Frustrated and ashamed of herself, Peridot's eyes threatened to leak profusely at any moment now, but _then_... Amethyst's body relaxed within her grasp. And _then_ , that grasp was mimicked with such warmth that her optical leakage did flow over, after all.

"Hey," Amethyst told Peridot, gently, after what may have been the most placid moment she'd ever experienced. "Y'know, you did that all wrong." Again, words that should have bitten, but served to intrigue instead. "Here, let me show you how it's done."

Why Steven hadn't shown her this version of kissing, she didn't understand. Perhaps, for all he'd helped her a great deal overall, some bits of his knowledge on the matter of romance were defective. Well, she didn't care. She'd gotten what she needed, from it.

/

That was what lead to their first fusion with each other, and although Peridot had felt instinctive fear, being accustomed to Homeworld's views on fusion, as far as sensation went she couldn't say she'd regretted it. That or any of the times which followed. The awesome impression being so close to Amethyst brought, combined with the comfort of knowing she got the same feels from it herself, gradually encouraged Peridot to realize there was a great deal more to it than that.

It was as she basked in her whirlwind of thoughts over the development of their romance, while she waited for Amethyst to settle that squabble with Pearl, that Peridot drew a collar-tugging connection. She put it down to having been too busy with transpirations in her personal life to have come across the thought before, but there _was_ another relationship in the neighbourhood that involved fusion and lots of it. One that she had, as she realized now, been rather rude about once upon a time, purely out of ignorance to the existence of any interpretations other than what her native culture had taught. Now that she knew what she knew, however... done what she'd done... understood what she understood...

Up in Steven's room, Peridot found the young hybrid together with Garnet, the leader of the Crystal Gems. The two were watching TV together, and as intimidating as the idea of distracting the perma-fusion was, she felt she owed her an apology and saw less sense in putting it off. Besides, after what she'd faced head on in the heat of anxiety, and gained as a result, this couldn't be that hard, could it?

"Garnet," she began.

"Peridot," was the fusion's reply, not accompanied by any physical acknowledgement of her presence.

"Hey, Peridot," came Steven's much more welcoming greeting.

"Steven," Peridot replied, keeping her tone formal as was required for the occasion. Turning back to Garnet, she put forth, "I just want to let you know... I'm sorry. I... understand what you see in... fusion, better now. I... hope you can forgive me for the... the things I said."

Now, ever so slightly, Garnet turned to the green gem, smiled, and replied, "You're forgiven."

Steven smiled at what he observed – Amethyst and Peridot's mutual exploits were not quite as secret as they wanted to believe, but he was glad that Peridot finally "got it." Although he had to wonder if somewhere along the line the two gems would want to start staying fused all the time, like Ruby and Sapphire did as Garnet – in which case he'd miss their individual personalities immensely – he was more glad than anything else that the two were able to add so much enrichment to each other's lives, and that in a by-product of their union, Peridot had come several steps closer to really understanding what the Crystal Gems in general were all about.

 **The End.**

 **AN: Welp, there's a little something to take the edge off of SU hunger, for a little while. Hope those who read this feel the same way! Cheers! :)  
**


End file.
